Collaboration cycle
Collaboration cycle
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Midpoint Review

Last Updated: September 9, 2026

Waiver available: Yes

Recommended timing: Schedule when you have a prototype or mockup ready for user research — typically before you start research or move to code.

How this touchpoint helps you, VA, and Veterans

Midpoint Review helps you finalize a design that meets VA.gov Experience Standards, so you can lower the risk of launch-blocking issues at Staging Review. Use it to get feedback on your design as you prepare to test it with users.

This touchpoint is only for teams building products for Veterans, their caregivers, families, survivors, and representatives. If you're building for organizations — VA employees, contractors, or representatives acting in an organizational capacity — skip this touchpoint.

No GitHub ticket yet? Start with a Collab Cycle kickoff first.

Watch this video for a quick, high-level overview of the Midpoint Review meeting. For complete details, read the article below.

What you need to bring

Required artifacts

Up-to-date user flow. This is the artifact we rely on most. Show the interaction points and decisions your user will encounter — a simple flowchart of arrows and shapes works. Need help? Reach out to the Content and IA team in #content-ia-centralized-team on Slack.

Nice to have, at any stage of completeness:

  • Wireframes or prototype

  • Designs shown in a mobile viewport

  • Accessibility annotations

  • Research plan

  • Any other artifacts you've developed so far

You’re ready for this touchpoint when

  • You've developed an idea for how to solve your problem statement

  • You've drafted a user workflow

  • You've drafted a wireframe or prototype

  • You're preparing to do user research

How to schedule your review

  1. Create a ticket
    Use "Initiate a Midpoint Review" in the Design review touchpoints (Optional) section of your Collab Cycle Kickoff ticket.

  2. Pick your format and book a time
    Pick synchronous or asynchronous (see below). For either format, use the Calendly Midpoint Review calendar linked in your ticket.

  3. Add your artifacts
    Link them in your ticket at least 2 working days before your meeting.

No specific role is required to schedule a Midpoint Review. The person who books it in Calendly is responsible for inviting the rest of the team.

Choose a format

  • Synchronous — a live, 30-minute Teams meeting with the Governance Team.

  • Asynchronous — no meeting. The Governance Team will review your artifacts and add feedback to your GitHub ticket.

We recommend synchronous if this is our first look at your product, or if a lot has changed since your Design Intent. If you choose asynchronous and we decide your product needs deeper discussion, we may switch to synchronous — we'll tell you ahead of time if that happens.

How to prepare for your review

Deadline: At least 2 working days before your meeting. We need this time to review your materials — without it, we may need to reschedule.

How to deliver: Link all artifacts in your Midpoint Review GitHub ticket.

What happens during the meeting

(Applies to synchronous reviews. For asynchronous reviews, skip to Expected outcomes below.)

Format: 30-minute Microsoft Teams meeting, hosted by the Governance Team and recorded.

Who should attend: Your designer(s) and product manager, at minimum. We also encourage you to invite content, IA, and accessibility or QA specialists, plus any VA stakeholders working on or advising the product.

Who else will be there: Relevant VA.gov leads, invited by the Governance Team.

Agenda:

  1. Welcome from the Governance Team

  2. Your team introduces the initiative and gives updates (about 10 minutes) — cover the problem you're solving, any constraints, and walk us through your user flow

  3. VA.gov Leads and the Governance Team ask questions and share feedback

This is a discussion — ask questions any time.

Expected outcomes: If synchronous, you'll hear initial feedback live during the meeting. Either way, Governance Team design, accessibility, content, and IA reviewers document detailed feedback as GitHub tickets, using the Must, Should, and Consider framework. These are available no later than the end of the next working day.

What happens after the meeting

  • If synchronous, we link the meeting recording to your Midpoint Review GitHub ticket.

  • You review your feedback tickets, linked through the ticket's Milestone.

  • You update your plan and design to meet the relevant standards.

  • You move on to the next design touchpoint: Staging Review.

Waiver process

In rare cases, your team may not need a Design Intent, Midpoint Review, or Research Review. Start by discussing this at Gov Leads Sync.

To request a waiver, comment on your Collaboration Cycle GitHub ticket with a brief justification. Examples that may support a waiver:

  • Your team already has expertise in VA.gov accessibility, design, content, and IA standards, plus design system components and patterns

  • Your product has already been researched and tested, and this update makes minor or no user experience changes

  • Your team already attended one design touchpoint and discussed not needing another

  • Your team accepts the risk of possible delays, added compliance documentation, or launch-blocking findings at Staging Review

We'll respond on your ticket to confirm the waiver or ask for more detail. A waiver applies to the touchpoint itself — both the meeting and its required deliverables.

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